In the version of the article initially published, there was an error in the "Author contribution... more In the version of the article initially published, there was an error in the "Author contributions" section, which has now been updated in the HTML and PDF versions to read "I.Z., N.G.-I. and N.A.-A. conceived the main conceptual ideas. I.Z. and M.P. performed the identification and analyses of GBY fish remains. I.Z. and J.N. designed and performed the XRD lab experiment, analyzed and interpreted the data. I.Z. and I.H. conducted the Micro CT scans, analyzed and interpreted the data. G.S.-V. and T.T. performed the stable isotope analysis, the isotope data evaluation and interpretation. N.A.-A. performed the spatial analyses. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final version of the manuscript."
The question of whether or not pre-modern hominins were responsible for the accumulation of fish ... more The question of whether or not pre-modern hominins were responsible for the accumulation of fish remains is discussed through analyses of remains recovered from two lacustrine facies (I-4 and I-5) from Area A of the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY) in the Jordan Rift Valley, Israel. The fish remains provide the first glimpse into the naturally accumulated fish assemblage from the fluctuating shores of a lake that had been continually exploited by early hominins some 780,000 years ago. Preliminary analysis of the remains show that thirteen of the seventeen species native to Lake Hula were identified at GBY. These represent three of the five freshwater fish families native to the lake: Cyprinidae (carps), Cichlidae (tilapini, St. Peter's fish), and Clariidae (catfish). From a taphonomical perspective, a significant difference is found between the two lithofacies (Layers I-4 and I-5) in terms of species composition, richness, diversity, and skeleton completeness. It appears that the fish remains recovered from Layer I-4 (clay) are better preserved than those from Layer I-5 (coquina). In both lithofacies, Cyprinidae are highly abundant while Cichlidae and Clariidae are rare and under-represented, especially when compared to the Lake Hula fishery report from the 1950s. All of these identified species may have contributed significantly to the diet of GBY hominins.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Feb 1, 2019
Identification of fish processing methods and their long-term preservation in Antiquity is not an... more Identification of fish processing methods and their long-term preservation in Antiquity is not an easy task. In this article we present unique evidence of fish butchery methods, based on an analysis of fish remains recovered from the coastal, Late Bronze Age (LBA) (14th-13th century BCE) site of Tell Abu Hawam (TAH; southern Levant). Based on fish butchered today by traditional fishing communities, we developed an ethnographic-taphonomic model enabling us to identify the exact butchery method applied to a dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus; Lowe, 1834) recovered at TAH. This model verifies, for the first time, the antiquity of traditional fish butchery and preservation methods, and reveals their similarity to the methods depicted on ancient Egyptian tomb reliefs from the Old Kingdom (ca. 2649-2150 BCE). Analysis of the entire fish assemblage expands our relatively poor knowledge of fish exploitation patterns during the LBA. At Tell Abu Hawam we found a diverse exploitation pattern, with 14 species of fish originating from two main habitats: the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (79%) and the Nile (20%; Egypt). Although rare, we also recovered the remains of several pelagic species (11%). The presence of pelagic fish was uncommon during the LBA period. We therefore assume that these fish represent either local seasonal fishing from the littoral zone or one of the earliest indications of pelagic fishing. Another possibility is that these species also represent trade connections either with the Aegean Sea or with Egypt.
Digital technologies are an increasingly pervasive medium for zooarchaeological scholarship, prov... more Digital technologies are an increasingly pervasive medium for zooarchaeological scholarship, providing a means to document and preserve fragile zooarchaeological specimens, share primary data, address methodological questions, and spread the information to the wider public. During the last decade, a broad array of digital technologies has been widely applied for the creation of three-dimensional images of animal bones, with a number of freely accessible collections being developed and published online. To be beneficial for academic and non-academic audiences, the creation of these collections requires careful planning, and more attention is needed in order to ensure their longevity in the web as well as their future usability. Drawing on an online workshop, organised by the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center of The Cyprus Institute, titled "Zooarchaeology in the Digital Era", this article aims to provide a snapshot of the current state of art, and the methods and digital tools being employed in the digitisation of animal remains. The article also raises some of the challenges that the international zooarchaeological community is facing in the era of Linked Open Data, including management, archiving, curation, storage, dissemination and communication of digital data to the scientific world and the wider public. In addition, the paper highlights the need for a stronger collaboration between archaeologists and researchers from the Digital Humanities' sector in order to stimulate an innovative discourse and create fertile ground for the production of new scientific knowledge.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Oct 29, 2021
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Aug 1, 2019
Here we present an ethnographic study on the practice of three butchering methods applied to 645 ... more Here we present an ethnographic study on the practice of three butchering methods applied to 645 fish by traditional fishermen in Panama (Central America) and southern Sinai (Red Sea, Egypt). In Method A-the entire fish is gutted ventrally; in Method B-a lengthwise dorsal cut is performed ("Butterfly" fish); and in Method Cboneless strips of meat are produced from sharks (Chondrichthyes). The first two methods are similar to those depicted in several ancient Egyptian reliefs. The objectives of this study were to examine the traditional methods used for fish butchering and determine whether the method applied would generate a characteristic pattern of bone loss and damage (typical fragmentation pattern). For the 645 fish processed for immediate or long-term consumption, by traditional fishermen, we documented the tools used, the sequence of fish cutting, and the correlation between the butchering method applied and fish taxonomy, size, and morphological characteristics. For 171 fish butchered by either of two methods, we show a correlation between the method used and skeletal element presentation, fragmentation pattern, and fracture location. We also note that evidence of fish processing areas may be rare in the archaeological record, since the discarded parts are either consumed by local animals or thrown into the nearby aquatic habitats. The results presented contribute to our understanding of past processing methods, and to the methodology used for analyzing fish remains. We demonstrate the validity of the described butchering methods by providing examples of similarities observed in fragmentation patterns of fish remains recovered from archaeological sites. "It is necessary not only to give a reasonable explanation for the presence of the elements found but also for the absence of those not found" (White, 1953).
Here we explore the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the co-existing carbonate and phosp... more Here we explore the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the co-existing carbonate and phosphate fractions of fish tooth enameloid as a tool to reconstruct past aquatic fish environments and harvesting grounds. The enameloid oxygen isotope compositions of the phosphate fraction (δ 18 O PO4) vary by as much as~4‰ for migratory marine fish such as gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), predominantly reflecting the different saline habitats it occupies during its life cycle. The offset in enameloid Δ 18 O CO3-PO4 values of modern marine Sparidae and freshwater Cyprinidae from the Southeast Mediterranean region vary between 8.1 and 11.0‰, similar to values reported for modern sharks. The mean δ 13 C of modern adult S. aurata and Cyprinus carpio teeth of 0.1±0.4‰ and-6.1±0.7‰, respectively, mainly reflect the difference in δ 13 C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of the ambient water and dietary carbon sources. The enameloid Δ 18 O CO3-PO4 and δ 13 C values of ancient S. aurata (Holocene) and fossil Luciobarbus sp. (Cyprinidae; mid Pleistocene) teeth agree well with those of modern specimens, implying little diagenetic alteration of these tooth samples. Paired δ 18 O PO4-δ 13 C data from ancient S. aurata teeth indicate that hypersaline water bodies formed in the Levant region during the Late Holocene from typical Mediterranean coastal water with high evaporation rates and limited carbon input from terrestrial sources. Sparid tooth stable isotopes further suggest that coastal lagoons in the Eastern Mediterranean had already formed by the Early Holocene and were influenced by terrestrial carbon sources. Overall, combined enameloid oxygen and carbon isotope analysis of fish teeth is a powerful tool to infer the hydrologic evolution of aquatic environments and assess past fishing grounds of human populations in antiquity.
Actualistic («middle range») studies of present day fishing communities facilitate the reconstruc... more Actualistic («middle range») studies of present day fishing communities facilitate the reconstruction of fishing methods and fish utilization from archaeofaunal data. Fish dehydration by salting and sun and wind drying is still practised around Parita Bay, central Pacific Panama. This report describes the ways in which two different butchering methods, dependent upon fish size, affect the fish skeleton. Each butchering method leads to different patterns of bone loss and breakage. These data will be useful to archaeologists who wish to distinguish between fish processing and consumption sites.
The present overview deals with the fish remains found at Palaeolithic to Late Bronze Age sites i... more The present overview deals with the fish remains found at Palaeolithic to Late Bronze Age sites in the Eastern Mediterranean. Attention is focussed on both marine and continental fisheries in Anatolia, the Levant and Mesopotamia. After presenting a detailed inventory of the archaeofaunal data available in the literature, an attempt is made to document diachronic trends in marine exploitation and continental fishing of the region. The use offish in ritual and religious practices is dealt with briefly and attention is also paid to fish as trade items.
Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen ... more Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ 18 O PO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt's northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ 18 O PO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550-3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ 18 O PO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns.
Abstract This paper examines the potential of oxygen stable isotope composition of Sparidae (sea-... more Abstract This paper examines the potential of oxygen stable isotope composition of Sparidae (sea-bream) tooth enamel phosphate (δ 18 O P ) as an indicator of the habitat in which the fish were captured. The isotopic compositions of Sparidae molariform teeth recovered from the coastal site of Tel Dor (northern coast of Israel), from a sequence dated to the 12th–7th centuries BCE and from modern samples were studied. The δ 18 O P values of the archaeological specimens exhibited a wide range of values, varying between 21.3 and 25.2 ± 0.2‰. While δ 18 O P values from the teeth dated to the 12th–9th centuries BCE resembled typical East Mediterranean coastal water, some of the later teeth, dated to the 9th–7th centuries BCE, exhibited higher values. The later values indicate tooth enamel deposition in a hyper-saline environment similar to δ 18 O P values of Sparidae observed at Bardawil Lagoon (Southeastern Mediterranean coast, east of the Suez Canal, Egypt). Prior to this study all Sparidae fish recovered at Tel Dor were regarded as evidence of local fishing activity. The current results exhibit, for the first time, that some of the Sparids may have been exported from the Bardawil Lagoon. We discuss, however, an alternative scenario, namely, the possible existence of saline lagoons near Tel Dor in antiquity.
Remains of the highly nutritious aquatic plant Fox nut – Euryale ferox Salisb. (Nymphaeaceae) – w... more Remains of the highly nutritious aquatic plant Fox nut – Euryale ferox Salisb. (Nymphaeaceae) – were found at the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel. Here, we present new evidence for complex cognitive strategies of hominins as seen in their exploitation of E. ferox nuts. We draw on excavated data and on parallels observed in traditional collecting and processing practices from Bihar, India. We suggest that during the early Middle Pleistocene, hominins implemented multistage procedures comprising underwater gathering and subsequent processing (drying, roasting and popping) of E. ferox nuts. Hierarchical processing strategies are observed in the Acheulian lithic reduction sequences and butchering of game at this and other sites, but are poorly understood as regards the exploitation of aquatic plant resources. We highlight the ability of Acheulian hominins to resolve issues related to underwater gathering of E. ferox nuts during the plant's life cycle and to adopt ...
Vale and Gargett (J. Archaeol. Sci. 29 (2002) 57) discuss the finds from sieving experiments thro... more Vale and Gargett (J. Archaeol. Sci. 29 (2002) 57) discuss the finds from sieving experiments through 6 mm, 3 mm, and 1 mm mesh sizes from Arrawarra-I, a coastal midden site in Australia. They claimed that the relationship between sieve mesh size and both taxonomic richness and abundance is not straightforward. We reanalyzed Vale and Gargett's data to estimate species richness in larger sample sizes. By fitting logarithmic series to the data, we calculated the alpha diversity, and used that statistics to predict number of species expected at a given sample size. This statistical method is called ''the equivalent alpha diversity method for abundifaction''. We demonstrate that taxonomic diversity would have been higher (14 species rather then 10) for an NISP of 2000 bones, sieved through a 1 mm mesh. We also demonstrate that Vale and Gargett's conclusion is flawed due to their small sample size (432 identified bones out of 60,000), inadequate sampling methods and poor analytical methodology. By using Vale and Gargett's data, we reach the opposite conclusion, and show that the use of 3 and 1 mm mesh sieves is indeed important in measuring diversity of archaeological assemblages in general, and of fish assemblages in particular.
In the version of the article initially published, there was an error in the "Author contribution... more In the version of the article initially published, there was an error in the "Author contributions" section, which has now been updated in the HTML and PDF versions to read "I.Z., N.G.-I. and N.A.-A. conceived the main conceptual ideas. I.Z. and M.P. performed the identification and analyses of GBY fish remains. I.Z. and J.N. designed and performed the XRD lab experiment, analyzed and interpreted the data. I.Z. and I.H. conducted the Micro CT scans, analyzed and interpreted the data. G.S.-V. and T.T. performed the stable isotope analysis, the isotope data evaluation and interpretation. N.A.-A. performed the spatial analyses. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final version of the manuscript."
The question of whether or not pre-modern hominins were responsible for the accumulation of fish ... more The question of whether or not pre-modern hominins were responsible for the accumulation of fish remains is discussed through analyses of remains recovered from two lacustrine facies (I-4 and I-5) from Area A of the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (GBY) in the Jordan Rift Valley, Israel. The fish remains provide the first glimpse into the naturally accumulated fish assemblage from the fluctuating shores of a lake that had been continually exploited by early hominins some 780,000 years ago. Preliminary analysis of the remains show that thirteen of the seventeen species native to Lake Hula were identified at GBY. These represent three of the five freshwater fish families native to the lake: Cyprinidae (carps), Cichlidae (tilapini, St. Peter's fish), and Clariidae (catfish). From a taphonomical perspective, a significant difference is found between the two lithofacies (Layers I-4 and I-5) in terms of species composition, richness, diversity, and skeleton completeness. It appears that the fish remains recovered from Layer I-4 (clay) are better preserved than those from Layer I-5 (coquina). In both lithofacies, Cyprinidae are highly abundant while Cichlidae and Clariidae are rare and under-represented, especially when compared to the Lake Hula fishery report from the 1950s. All of these identified species may have contributed significantly to the diet of GBY hominins.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Feb 1, 2019
Identification of fish processing methods and their long-term preservation in Antiquity is not an... more Identification of fish processing methods and their long-term preservation in Antiquity is not an easy task. In this article we present unique evidence of fish butchery methods, based on an analysis of fish remains recovered from the coastal, Late Bronze Age (LBA) (14th-13th century BCE) site of Tell Abu Hawam (TAH; southern Levant). Based on fish butchered today by traditional fishing communities, we developed an ethnographic-taphonomic model enabling us to identify the exact butchery method applied to a dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus; Lowe, 1834) recovered at TAH. This model verifies, for the first time, the antiquity of traditional fish butchery and preservation methods, and reveals their similarity to the methods depicted on ancient Egyptian tomb reliefs from the Old Kingdom (ca. 2649-2150 BCE). Analysis of the entire fish assemblage expands our relatively poor knowledge of fish exploitation patterns during the LBA. At Tell Abu Hawam we found a diverse exploitation pattern, with 14 species of fish originating from two main habitats: the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (79%) and the Nile (20%; Egypt). Although rare, we also recovered the remains of several pelagic species (11%). The presence of pelagic fish was uncommon during the LBA period. We therefore assume that these fish represent either local seasonal fishing from the littoral zone or one of the earliest indications of pelagic fishing. Another possibility is that these species also represent trade connections either with the Aegean Sea or with Egypt.
Digital technologies are an increasingly pervasive medium for zooarchaeological scholarship, prov... more Digital technologies are an increasingly pervasive medium for zooarchaeological scholarship, providing a means to document and preserve fragile zooarchaeological specimens, share primary data, address methodological questions, and spread the information to the wider public. During the last decade, a broad array of digital technologies has been widely applied for the creation of three-dimensional images of animal bones, with a number of freely accessible collections being developed and published online. To be beneficial for academic and non-academic audiences, the creation of these collections requires careful planning, and more attention is needed in order to ensure their longevity in the web as well as their future usability. Drawing on an online workshop, organised by the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center of The Cyprus Institute, titled "Zooarchaeology in the Digital Era", this article aims to provide a snapshot of the current state of art, and the methods and digital tools being employed in the digitisation of animal remains. The article also raises some of the challenges that the international zooarchaeological community is facing in the era of Linked Open Data, including management, archiving, curation, storage, dissemination and communication of digital data to the scientific world and the wider public. In addition, the paper highlights the need for a stronger collaboration between archaeologists and researchers from the Digital Humanities' sector in order to stimulate an innovative discourse and create fertile ground for the production of new scientific knowledge.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Oct 29, 2021
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Aug 1, 2019
Here we present an ethnographic study on the practice of three butchering methods applied to 645 ... more Here we present an ethnographic study on the practice of three butchering methods applied to 645 fish by traditional fishermen in Panama (Central America) and southern Sinai (Red Sea, Egypt). In Method A-the entire fish is gutted ventrally; in Method B-a lengthwise dorsal cut is performed ("Butterfly" fish); and in Method Cboneless strips of meat are produced from sharks (Chondrichthyes). The first two methods are similar to those depicted in several ancient Egyptian reliefs. The objectives of this study were to examine the traditional methods used for fish butchering and determine whether the method applied would generate a characteristic pattern of bone loss and damage (typical fragmentation pattern). For the 645 fish processed for immediate or long-term consumption, by traditional fishermen, we documented the tools used, the sequence of fish cutting, and the correlation between the butchering method applied and fish taxonomy, size, and morphological characteristics. For 171 fish butchered by either of two methods, we show a correlation between the method used and skeletal element presentation, fragmentation pattern, and fracture location. We also note that evidence of fish processing areas may be rare in the archaeological record, since the discarded parts are either consumed by local animals or thrown into the nearby aquatic habitats. The results presented contribute to our understanding of past processing methods, and to the methodology used for analyzing fish remains. We demonstrate the validity of the described butchering methods by providing examples of similarities observed in fragmentation patterns of fish remains recovered from archaeological sites. "It is necessary not only to give a reasonable explanation for the presence of the elements found but also for the absence of those not found" (White, 1953).
Here we explore the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the co-existing carbonate and phosp... more Here we explore the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the co-existing carbonate and phosphate fractions of fish tooth enameloid as a tool to reconstruct past aquatic fish environments and harvesting grounds. The enameloid oxygen isotope compositions of the phosphate fraction (δ 18 O PO4) vary by as much as~4‰ for migratory marine fish such as gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), predominantly reflecting the different saline habitats it occupies during its life cycle. The offset in enameloid Δ 18 O CO3-PO4 values of modern marine Sparidae and freshwater Cyprinidae from the Southeast Mediterranean region vary between 8.1 and 11.0‰, similar to values reported for modern sharks. The mean δ 13 C of modern adult S. aurata and Cyprinus carpio teeth of 0.1±0.4‰ and-6.1±0.7‰, respectively, mainly reflect the difference in δ 13 C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of the ambient water and dietary carbon sources. The enameloid Δ 18 O CO3-PO4 and δ 13 C values of ancient S. aurata (Holocene) and fossil Luciobarbus sp. (Cyprinidae; mid Pleistocene) teeth agree well with those of modern specimens, implying little diagenetic alteration of these tooth samples. Paired δ 18 O PO4-δ 13 C data from ancient S. aurata teeth indicate that hypersaline water bodies formed in the Levant region during the Late Holocene from typical Mediterranean coastal water with high evaporation rates and limited carbon input from terrestrial sources. Sparid tooth stable isotopes further suggest that coastal lagoons in the Eastern Mediterranean had already formed by the Early Holocene and were influenced by terrestrial carbon sources. Overall, combined enameloid oxygen and carbon isotope analysis of fish teeth is a powerful tool to infer the hydrologic evolution of aquatic environments and assess past fishing grounds of human populations in antiquity.
Actualistic («middle range») studies of present day fishing communities facilitate the reconstruc... more Actualistic («middle range») studies of present day fishing communities facilitate the reconstruction of fishing methods and fish utilization from archaeofaunal data. Fish dehydration by salting and sun and wind drying is still practised around Parita Bay, central Pacific Panama. This report describes the ways in which two different butchering methods, dependent upon fish size, affect the fish skeleton. Each butchering method leads to different patterns of bone loss and breakage. These data will be useful to archaeologists who wish to distinguish between fish processing and consumption sites.
The present overview deals with the fish remains found at Palaeolithic to Late Bronze Age sites i... more The present overview deals with the fish remains found at Palaeolithic to Late Bronze Age sites in the Eastern Mediterranean. Attention is focussed on both marine and continental fisheries in Anatolia, the Levant and Mesopotamia. After presenting a detailed inventory of the archaeofaunal data available in the literature, an attempt is made to document diachronic trends in marine exploitation and continental fishing of the region. The use offish in ritual and religious practices is dealt with briefly and attention is also paid to fish as trade items.
Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen ... more Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ 18 O PO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt's northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ 18 O PO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550-3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ 18 O PO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns.
Abstract This paper examines the potential of oxygen stable isotope composition of Sparidae (sea-... more Abstract This paper examines the potential of oxygen stable isotope composition of Sparidae (sea-bream) tooth enamel phosphate (δ 18 O P ) as an indicator of the habitat in which the fish were captured. The isotopic compositions of Sparidae molariform teeth recovered from the coastal site of Tel Dor (northern coast of Israel), from a sequence dated to the 12th–7th centuries BCE and from modern samples were studied. The δ 18 O P values of the archaeological specimens exhibited a wide range of values, varying between 21.3 and 25.2 ± 0.2‰. While δ 18 O P values from the teeth dated to the 12th–9th centuries BCE resembled typical East Mediterranean coastal water, some of the later teeth, dated to the 9th–7th centuries BCE, exhibited higher values. The later values indicate tooth enamel deposition in a hyper-saline environment similar to δ 18 O P values of Sparidae observed at Bardawil Lagoon (Southeastern Mediterranean coast, east of the Suez Canal, Egypt). Prior to this study all Sparidae fish recovered at Tel Dor were regarded as evidence of local fishing activity. The current results exhibit, for the first time, that some of the Sparids may have been exported from the Bardawil Lagoon. We discuss, however, an alternative scenario, namely, the possible existence of saline lagoons near Tel Dor in antiquity.
Remains of the highly nutritious aquatic plant Fox nut – Euryale ferox Salisb. (Nymphaeaceae) – w... more Remains of the highly nutritious aquatic plant Fox nut – Euryale ferox Salisb. (Nymphaeaceae) – were found at the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel. Here, we present new evidence for complex cognitive strategies of hominins as seen in their exploitation of E. ferox nuts. We draw on excavated data and on parallels observed in traditional collecting and processing practices from Bihar, India. We suggest that during the early Middle Pleistocene, hominins implemented multistage procedures comprising underwater gathering and subsequent processing (drying, roasting and popping) of E. ferox nuts. Hierarchical processing strategies are observed in the Acheulian lithic reduction sequences and butchering of game at this and other sites, but are poorly understood as regards the exploitation of aquatic plant resources. We highlight the ability of Acheulian hominins to resolve issues related to underwater gathering of E. ferox nuts during the plant's life cycle and to adopt ...
Vale and Gargett (J. Archaeol. Sci. 29 (2002) 57) discuss the finds from sieving experiments thro... more Vale and Gargett (J. Archaeol. Sci. 29 (2002) 57) discuss the finds from sieving experiments through 6 mm, 3 mm, and 1 mm mesh sizes from Arrawarra-I, a coastal midden site in Australia. They claimed that the relationship between sieve mesh size and both taxonomic richness and abundance is not straightforward. We reanalyzed Vale and Gargett's data to estimate species richness in larger sample sizes. By fitting logarithmic series to the data, we calculated the alpha diversity, and used that statistics to predict number of species expected at a given sample size. This statistical method is called ''the equivalent alpha diversity method for abundifaction''. We demonstrate that taxonomic diversity would have been higher (14 species rather then 10) for an NISP of 2000 bones, sieved through a 1 mm mesh. We also demonstrate that Vale and Gargett's conclusion is flawed due to their small sample size (432 identified bones out of 60,000), inadequate sampling methods and poor analytical methodology. By using Vale and Gargett's data, we reach the opposite conclusion, and show that the use of 3 and 1 mm mesh sieves is indeed important in measuring diversity of archaeological assemblages in general, and of fish assemblages in particular.
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